UnSeen
by CountingWithStraws
Summary: She cannot see him. She cannot hear him. She cannot touch him. Yet her life is in his hands.
1. Prologue

AN: Hey everyone. This is a new project that will probably have a lot of OC qualities. Be prepared for magick & mystery!

* * *

She wore a big, bulky sweater that nearly swallowed Her. This was the girl he could not have. He could not touch Her. He could not speak to Her. _Forbidden_. His kind was only allowed to watch and make sure no harm came to Her. And so he spent his entire life watching Her, guarding Her, risking his life for Her… needing Her. The others did not need Her, but he did. When he was a child the need was simply to see Her, to be in Her presence, but as he matured, so to did his need. He fought it, fought the need to touch Her, to speak to Her, to—_Forbidden_!

Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut. It didn't matter. He was one of the Unseen. She would never know of him, Her midnight blue eyes would never look upon him.

With a sigh he looked out at the garden that She loved so much. It was a barren landscape of snow and ice, but soon that would all melt. Then a vast array of blooms will spout, overflowing the flowerbeds and climbing up the latticework walls. And when Her garden was at its height of beauty, She will awaken, and the real danger will come.

* * *

Sakura paused momentarily in petting one of her cats as she felt the presence again. Her guardian. Despite all of her grandfather's stories, she did not believe in the supernatural, but the reoccurring feeling of someone watching over her had at least lead her to believe in her guardian. Perhaps it was her mother coming down from heaven since she could not remember sensing the presence until after the Accident when she was five. Since then whenever she was sad or angry or scared, she would feel her guardian. The stronger the emotion, the more clearly she could feel the presence.

Lately, however, it seemed as if her guardian never left her side. She wrapped her arms around herself. Feeling like someone was there when she showered or changed clothes—even if it was her mother—it was embarrassing.

Sakura sighed and looked over to the ancient tree in the back of her garden. She knew her guardian was over there, watching her. She could feel her mother's protective gaze on her. Setting the cat down, Sakura stepped towards the tree, but then heard a car pull into the driveway. She looked at the tree a moment longer and then made her way to the front of the house just in time to see her four best friends scrambling out of a minivan.


	2. Chapter 1

AN: So here is the first chapter!

Enjoy!

DFTBA

* * *

Sasuke sat in the wall-length bay window of _Café sur la Rivière_ and watched the five girls enter, one of them parting from the group to slip into the restroom. She was one of them. As the unconscious leader of the group, She lead her friends over to the only table fully warmed by the afternoon sunlight in the centre of the café.

Since _la Rivière_ was owned by the UnSeen, Sasuke relaxed his guard and closed his eyes, listening to the girls' idle chatter about their school day. He already knew about Her day, he had been with Her the entire time and She was the only one he cared about.

Sakura dropped her messenger at her feet and loosened the tie of her school uniform as she sat at their usual table. "I'm going to fail physics, I just know it. There's so much math!"

"Go to the tutor. If it's the same as last term, he's really hot," Ino said, tying her blonde locks back as she took her usual seat to Sakura's left.

Temari rolled her eyes. "Of course _you_ would know that. I bet you conveniently lost your way and wandered into the tutoring centre already just to scope out all the guys."

"I have lousy sense of direction." Ino grinned.

"So does your boyfriend," Tenten chimed in as she rummaged through her handbag for her wallet. "He climbed into my bed last night and scared the shit out of me."

Ino's eyes widened. "What? Please tell me your brother's didn't kill him!"

"Your boyfriend's a remarkably fast runner."

"He's on the university track team." Ino's grin returned. "I'm sorry he manhandled you a little, though."

Tenten looked up from her handbag. "You can make it up to me by paying my share of the tea."

"Forget your wallet again, didn't you?" Hinata said as she closed her book and sat down between Ino and Tenten.

Tenten nodded. "You were in the bathroom awhile. You okay?"

"That time." There was a mutual murmur of sympathetic sorries, which Hinata shrugged off before turning to Sakura. "Do you understand anything the teacher said in physics today?"

Sakura sighed. "Not a word and we've a quiz Friday. I'm so screwed."

Sasuke opened his eyes. He could feel Her stress. He had understood everything as he stood by the window in the physics lab earlier, soaking up the warm morning sun. If only he was allowed to be known to Her, then he could explain it to Her.

A few months ago he had felt Her eyes on him, or at least he had through so as his steady warrior's heart raced and, for the first time in his life, he forgot to breathe. Since the Accident she had never looked directly at him. To think that She had actually seen him—_Forbidden!_

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment and then looked out the window where the river lazily flowed under the bridge that lead to Konohagakure Forest. No, the Leader of the UnSeen was right, She had been merely looking at the North Barrier Tree. He was an UnSeen, one of Her guardians. His position as the one that never left Her side did not matter. He wasn't unique. He meant nothing.

"What does any of that even mean?" Sakura's exasperated voice broke through Sasuke's inner diatribe and he looked over to Her. The girls appeared to be trying to help Her and Hinata with their physics homework. A large pot of tea sat on a warming pan in the middle of the table—not that the girls ever let it last long enough to become cold—and _la Rivière's _largest tea cups and platters of warm scones were scattered about the table along with the girls' schoolwork.

Sasuke watched Her sigh, Her shoulders slump, and grab a few strands of Her long, pink hair, braiding it. She was stressed. He got up from his post at the window and went to Her. Very carefully, so as not to touch Her, Sasuke took some small rubber bands from his pants pocket and slipped them into the pocket of Her school cardigan.

As Sakura finished her little braid, she could feel her guardian behind her. She smiled to herself, comforted by her mother's presence, and reached into her pocket, hoping she'd remember to grab a few new ties this morning. She had been so scatter-brained after waking from that strange dream that she would have been late for school had it not been for her brother, Naruto, driving her.

"Oh my god, there he is!" Ino said as she nudged Sakura's arm. "It's the physics tutor from last term."

Sakura looked towards the front door, a tall, lean guy about her brother's age entered wearing casual clothes. Definitely a university student, all schools under university level had uniforms.

"Well, go ask if he's busy," Sakura said.

"You ask! You're the one who needs help. Besides, _I_ already have a boyfriend," Ino replied.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Oh, come on, Sakura, you're the only one of us who've never had a boyfriend and you're turning seventeen next week." Temari smiled at her. "What better excuse to talk to him than needing a bit of homework help?"

Sakura blushed. It was true she had not dated anyone, but it wasn't her fault that the few guys she found mildly interesting thought she was a witch. Stupid rumours. She didn't even believe in magick. "I'm not interested."

"But I am." Sakura spun in her chair. The physics tutor was standing there, his dark eyes staring intensely at her. "May I join you lovely ladies?"

"Yes! Have a seat," Ino said before anyone could give it much thought.

As he pulled up a chair between Temari and herself, Sakura felt her heart flutter, but whether it was in interest or uneasiness she wasn't sure. All she knew was that instead of the usual calmness, her mother radiated tenseness beside her.

"I'm Sai, by the way." He smiled at her; it made her think of the Cheshire Cat.

"Sakura, and these are my friends: Ino, Hinata, Tenten, and Temari."

"Hello, ladies." Sai kept his eyes on her. "So I hear you need help with physics?"

"I can figure it out myself, I'm resourceful."

He tilted his head to the side. "You sure? I'm a physics major over at the university."

"Sakura, you were just complaining about how you were going to fail physics," Ino said with a nudge of her foot under the table. "Let Sai help you."

Sakura turned to her friend. "Hinata was complaining too!"

"I can help them. I had AP physics first year." Tenten looked up from her literature anthology.

Everyone looked at Tenten, and even though she could not see it, Sasuke smiled gratefully. He did not know why, but the boy made his hair stand on end. Since no demon could enter _la Rivière _without breaking the barrier_, _it meant that the boy was human, but that did not make him safe.

Sasuke placed his hands on the table and leaned forward. The boy's eyes were dark but without any hints of inhuman colouration, and his hair was a flat black colour. His skin did not look unusually tight in any places either, nor were his fingernails even slightly discoloured. Sasuke took a deep breath and twitched his nose at the smell. Definitely human, though the boy could work on lessening the amount of cologne he drenched himself in.

The boy leaned in toward Her, his smile softening, and his voice lowered. "I'd really like to help you, Sakura."

Sasuke growled, his nails digging into the wood table.

"I think it'd be easier for all of us if I just got help from Tenten since we see each other every day," She said as She placed Her hand over Sasuke's.

Sasuke looked down at Her. She was leaning toward him, but looking at the boy. Did She know he was there? Could She feel his hand beneath Hers?


	3. Chapter 2

Sakura looked up at her hand as she lay in bed. She had not felt her mother's presence since she got home. It had been months since felt completely alone in a room, and before she would have relished in the feeling. Now she was anxious, fidgety. Was it because of what had happened at _la Rivière_? It wasn't unusual for Ino and Temari to try to hook her up with guys, but the guys were usually… Sakura sighed. She could not quite figure out why Sai was different, but that difference had put her on edge.

Then there was that strange warmth to the table. When she was rejecting Sai's offer to help her with physics she had placed her hand on the table and felt a tiny jolt go through her. Sakura bit her bottom lip and brought her hand down to her chest. It hadn't hurt. The jolt had made her heart race and the table had felt warm beneath her hand. She had felt the need to close her hand, to grasp something, but when she looked there was nothing there.

It was then she saw the marks on the table. She had been going to _la Rivière _after school every day for nearly ten years with her four friends. None of the tables had marks like those. They were straight, deep lines, about two inches long. When Sakura had spread her fingers out the lines had aligned with her fingernails, like claw marks.

Sakura closed her eyes and pictured the marks in the oak wood table. She saw the polished shine to the old table, the edges that had been weathered by time and use, and the claw marks—vibrant, fresh, full of anger. As Sakura's breathing deepened and slowed, the image altered, curved, transformed, but the marks still stood out. Blazing red and yellow leaves swirled in and out of Sakura's vision—in and out, in and out—until finally they cleared to reveal an ancient, autumn forest. Before her was a tree taller and thicker than all the rest, and it had been slashed furiously by claws.

"They cannot do this!" A male voice came from behind her. It was deep and rough, and it made her entire body awaken with the awareness of him. "They cannot dictate over you!"

Sakura turned around. He was beautiful, power beyond that of his lean muscles emanated from him. His eyes, a golden amber, were slivered and held her captive when he looked at her. Sakura watched his long, onyx coloured hair swirl in the wind and then fall down to his waist. Somehow, she knew that if she ran her fingers through it she'd find small braids hidden within its silky depths. He wore very little armour, but Sakura knew that he was a warrior. He stood tall and unmoving, and despite his black horns and claws, she felt safe with him, safer than she ever had before.

_Dúbhshláine._

* * *

Sasuke walked through the gates of the Spyridon House where She lived. It was a large house, much too big for the four people living inside of it, but unknown to the residence, it also housed precious artifacts and texts thousands of years old. Once She awakened it would all belong to Her. Sasuke looked up at her window, the lights were off but there was a faint glow coming from the area where the bed was. It was already starting. Six more days and She will turn seventeen, Her mother's enchantment will end and She will awaken.

Sasuke ran a hand through his thick mane of hair. The awakening worried him more than it did anyone else. None of the other UnSeen seemed to care that since the Accident no one was left to teach Her, to help Her understand Her abilities. They all expected Her to simply know. But Sasuke knew Her better than anyone else. She was going to freak. He just hoped that She didn't destroy the house in the process.

He sighed and entered the house. Her father was in the living room, reading, but he didn't notice—couldn't notice—Sasuke walk right past him and went upstairs. Her bedroom was a small room that contained the entrance to the attic and the attic itself. When Sasuke entered, She was asleep in Her bed, the scent of autumn leaves thick in the air. The covers had been kicked off and an orange swirling cloud hovered above Her.

Sasuke focused his eyes on the cloud and saw blurred images floating throughout it. It was a dream cloud, a magickal manifestation of Her dreams. Her powers were definitely beginning to seep out, and if unguarded anyone could enter Her dreams, and if they were strong enough, infect Her mind. Sasuke scratched the back of his head and contemplated what to do.

Dreams were powerful tools of the mind, they could help Her lean who She really was and come to terms with a world She has always been apart of, but has never known. On the other hand, She was currently too vulnerable; She did not know how to mentally defend Herself from attack. It was his job to protect Her, but fighting within Her mind when She was so powerless could cause Her harm, even death.

He took a deep breath and kneeled down beside Her bed. After removing one of the floorboards, he took out four crystals, and then attached one to each of the wooden bedposts. Then he spoke the magick words:

_Roluleare losi teale Roloratea,_

_Raluleare losi teale Selotitea,_

_Raluleare losi teale Lelasua,_

_Raluleare losi teale Rilesua,_

_Li laseka siloro lura soleleato._

_Toralolika teale Lulero losi lalea Rolekelika._

The crystals began to glow and pulsate softly with power as they created a barrier around Her bed. It wouldn't last for long. His magick was limited, pertaining mostly to attack rather than defense, but it would hopefully last long enough to awake her. Sasuke took a fortifying breath and stepped closer to the dream cloud. He then closed his eyes and placed his hand in the swirling magick, entering Her dreams.


End file.
